Sponsored: ‘Centre of Activity’ for a quarter century

Stadium 2000 welcomes community to celebrate 25th anniversary.

EVAN TUCHINSKY

Growing up in Blenheim, Jack Foley grew in many ways at Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000. He learned to swim at the multi-purpose complex on Kinross Street, established a quarter century ago – then taught others to swim in the same pools. He used the facilities long before becoming the centre’s Operations Manager.

Jack has seen Stadium 2000 grow as well. In 2012 came an addition to the footprint, notably in aquatics but also a fully serviced Health and Fitness Centre. As the site of myriad championships and tournaments, it draws Kiwis from both islands who marvel at all Stadium 2000 offers Marlborough.

“I don’t want to brag too much, but I think we do punch quite well above our weight,” Jack said Friday afternoon as members steadily trickled in to use the gym, enjoy indoor pools and shoot baskets in the arena.

“A lot of the comments from people from the likes of Auckland and Wellington are like, ‘Wow, what a great facility!’ They’re surprised by what they’re expecting from a small regional town compared to what they’ve got back home. It’s pretty cool.”

Ricky White hears the same thing. Like Jack, he joined Stadium 2000’s leadership team in 2019, right before the COVID lockdown. Ricky came to Marlborough for a Navy posting; he started as Health and Fitness Manager and now is Business and Experience Manager.

One of those experiences is the 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday November 1, when Stadium 2000 welcomes the whole community to try what thousands of members utilize to enhance fitness and lifestyles. The daylong event will feature activities, classes, food and gear – all free.

Ricky is as proud as Jack, General Manager Bridget Taylor and the rest of the 85-member staff. He notes of Stadium 2000 is “a big place” that lives up to its motto “Centre of Activity.” In the past fiscal year alone, it drew 1.3 million visits.

“It’s pretty cool for a small town,” Ricky said. “We’ve got a really solid, really loyal membership base here, and all those membership fees go back into providing services for the community.”

Trust

Distinct from centres elsewhere in NZ, Stadium 2000 runs as a charitable trust that leases the site from Marlborough District Council, from which it receives an operating grant. A seven-member board governs the Marlborough Stadium Trust.

Matt Kerr, the current Chair, has been there from the start. Colleagues now are Paul McKendry, Ben Glover, Sam Forrest, Anna Houkamau, Kelly Thompson, Martin Fletcher and Mark Unwin.

Befitting a not-for-profit, trustees volunteer their time in assuring Stadium 2000 fulfills its mission: “To build a community that is active, connected and inspired.” Doing so entails maintaining a first-class yet economical place.

The operating grant from Council contributes under 20% of Stadium 2000’s revenue. This combined with membership fees ensures cost is not a barrier.

“We try and subsidize the likes of basketball, volleyball, court hire rates,” Jack explained, “and we’ve got some of the cheapest pool rates in the country. That’s one of our goals: to keep it accessible to everyone in Marlborough.”

With its grand scope, Stadium 2000 raised some eyebrows as it developed.

“Thankfully,” Ricky said, “the trustees at the time were driving hard for something for Blenheim’s future, and this is what we have now here.”

Operations

Indeed, Stadium 2000 has so much going on, it mirrors the level of logistics employed at a port or railway.

Group fitness classes bounce from room to room over the course of a day. Seven pools – six of them indoors, including a 25m competition pool – require the facility to make its own chlorine for a network of filtration equipment which members do not see.

Since opening, the ground-floor lobby has featured a Subway restaurant. A CPR Express coffee shop came in 2008. Eight other tenants serve health and fitness needs.

Stadium 2000 attracts – and, importantly, retains – member-focused staff.

In an industry with a turnover rate of 12 months, hires here stay 3½ years on average. Some start as seasonal employees home from university for the holidays. Roles vary from part-time lifeguards and receptionists to full-time instructors and managers.

Survey feedback indicates “a lot of reasons staff like or love working here are usually based around the interactions with the people they’re serving and get to talk to every day,” Jack said. “The family and the culture here is around enjoying…”

“And really giving back, too,” Ricky injected. “We get to see that every single day. Definitely for me, that makes the job so rewarding.”

Stadium 2000 will showcase that spirit on Saturday. Opportunities to “try something new,” as Ricky put it, will include kayaking in the pool, underwater hockey and swim lessons for parents and babies. This celebration marks Stadium 2000’s first open day since the 20th anniversary which “was on a smaller scale” coming right after COVID.

“Twenty-five years, a quarter century, is a pretty cool accomplishment,” Jack expressed.

Stadium 2000 is located at 14 Kinross Street. It is open 6am-8pm Monday through Thursday, 6 am-7 pm Friday and 8:30am-5pm weekends – with the fitness centre open 5am-10pm daily. Visit stadium2000.co.nz for more information.